Port-au-Prince, October 26 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Polls closed Sunday in widely anticipated elections in Haiti, amid vows by authorities to reign in violence that had marred previous elections.

Haitians went to the polls to elect a new president and new local governments, along with voting in a second round of legislative elections.

The first round of the legislative vote was harried by violence and bureaucratic problems in August.  There were no reports of major problems, in sharp contrast to a first round of legislative elections in August, according to a tour of polling stations in the capital by Reuters and unconfirmed reports from rural provinces.
  
"This is much better," said Pierre Esperance, director of the National Human Rights Defense Network.  "The police are taking their responsibilities more seriously," he added, alluding to criticism of lax policing of polling stations in August.

Ahead of the vote, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had called on all candidates to demand their supporters remain peaceful.  “The Secretary-General deplores the violent incidents that occurred in some locations during the first round of legislative elections on August 9th,” Ban's spokesperson said.

More than 5 million registered voters chose their candidate from a list of 54 presidential hopefuls.  All three front-runners in the presidential race have promised to stabilize Haiti, after years of economic and political upheaval.  Polls have put President Michel Martelly’s handpicked successor Jovenel Moise in a dead heat with opposition figure Jude Celestin.  Both candidates have been polling between 20-30 percent for months, while Martelly himself is constitutionally barred from running for re-election.

A third candidate, Moise Jean-Charles, is expected to secure roughly 10 percent of the vote, while dozens of other presidential hopefuls are trailing behind. If no presidential candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote, a run-off between the two front-runners will be held on December 27th.

International observers have suggested a successful vote could be a positive step towards stability for Haiti.  Elections in 2011 and 2014 were both canceled by Martelly's government, amid concerns over political stability.